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Spa 2023! Everything You Need To Know....

The Belgium GP holds a special place in the hearts of fans and drivers alike. Nestled amidst the picturesque Ardennes Forest, the circuit boasts a rich history that dates back to the 1920s. Its long straights, unforgiving corners, and unpredictable weather patterns have earned it a reputation as one of the ultimate tests of a driver's mettle. From the daring overtakes at Eau Rouge to the nail-biting chicanes, every inch of this iconic track demands precision, courage, and sheer determination.


But the Belgium GP isn't just about the thrilling racing action on the track; it's an experience that immerses you in the passion of Formula 1. The deafening roar of the engines, the sea of colorful flags representing different nations, and the electric atmosphere among thousands of devoted fans create an aura that transcends mere sporting events. It's a captivating blend of human triumphs, technical marvels, and a celebration of the purest form of motorsport.


Here at Spa, there will also be the third sprint race of the season!


Here is a reminder of the new sprint format:

  • Friday will see 1 free practice session and qualifying for Sunday's GP.

  • Saturday will see the sprint shootout (qualifying session for the sprint race) and the sprint race.

  • Sunday will see the GP as usual.

The sprint shootout is 30 minutes long, divided into 3 sections (like quali). Q1 is 12 minutes, and drivers must drive with a medium tyre. The slowest 5 cars are then eliminated. Q2 is 10 minutes long, and drivers again must drive with a medium trye. The slowest 5 cars are eliminated. Finally, Q3 is 8 minutes long, and drivers must drive with a soft tyre.


If you want more information on the teams and drivers, you can read all about them here!

 
 

About The Track:

  • The first time a GP was held here was 1950.

  • The circuit has 2 DRS zones. The first is between Turns 1 and 2, and the second is between Turns 17 and 18. The circuit also has a speed trap just out of Turn 4.

  • The race will have 44 laps of the 7.004km track.

  • The lap record was set by Valtteri Bottas in 2018 at 1:46.286.

  • The circuit's history dates back to 1921, making it one of the oldest tracks in the world still in use for Formula 1 races.

  • The track's undulating nature, challenging corners, and elevation changes offer an exhilarating and unpredictable racing experience.

  • The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps holds the record for being the longest track on the current Formula 1 calendar.

  • Many legendary drivers have triumphed at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Lewis Hamilton, cementing the track's place in F1 history.

 

Free Practice Updates:


Free Practice 1:


Times By Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P14. 2:12.085. Completed 9 laps.

  • Zhou Guanyu: P15. 2:14.002. Completed 8 laps.


AlphaTauri

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P7. 2:09.067. Completed 8 laps.

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P9. 2:09.319. Completed 7 laps.


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: No Time Set.

  • Pierre Gasly: No Time Set.


Aston Martin

  • Fernando Alonso: P11. 2:10.283. Completed 4 laps.

  • Lance Stroll: No Time Set.


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P1. 2:03.207. Completed 9 laps.

  • Charles Leclerc: P4. 2:08.148. Completed 8 laps.


Haas

  • Kevin Magnussen: P8. 2:09.229. Completed 7 laps.

  • Nico Hulkenberg: P10. 2:10.042. Completed 8 laps.


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P3. 2:04.484. Completed 4 laps.

  • Oscar Piastri: P2. 2:03.792. Completed 4 laps.


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton: P12. 2:10.299. Completed 7 laps.

  • George Russell: P13. 2:10.475. Completed 7 laps.


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: No Time Set.

  • Sergio Perez: P5. 2:08.240. Completed 5 laps.


Williams

  • Alex Albon: P6. 2:08.394. Completed 5 laps.

  • Logan Sargeant: No Time Set.


Overall Results of FP1 -

Position

Driver

Team

Gap

1

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

2:03.207

2

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

+0.585

3

Lando Norris

McLaren

+1.277

4

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+4.941

5

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

+5.033

6

Alex Albon

Williams

+5.187

7

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+5.860

8

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

+6.022

9

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

+6.112

10

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

+6.835

11

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

+7.706

12

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+7.092

13

George Russell

Mercedes

+7.268

14

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+8.878

15

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+10.795

 

Qualifying Updates:


Eliminated in Q1 -


Nico Hulkenberg

Daniel Ricciardo

Logan Sargeant

Zhou Guanyu

Alex Albon


Eliminated in Q2 -


Esteban Ocon

Valtteri Bottas

Kevin Magnussen

Pierre Gasy

Yuki Tsunoda


Through to Q3 -


Lance Stroll

Fernando Alonso

George Russell

Lando Norris

Oscar Piastri

Carlos Sainz

Lewis Hamilton

Sergio Perez

Charles Leclerc

Max Verstappen


OVERALL RESULTS OF QUALIFYING:


*this does not take into account any penalties, final starting grid can be found under 'The Race' section*


The time listed shows the driver's fastest qualifying lap for their respective final qualifying sessions. Blue is for Q3, red is for Q2, and no background colour is Q1. For the driver's times for Q1, Q2, Q3, see below in 'Qualifying Results by Team'.

Position

Driver

Team

Time

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1:46.168

2

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:46.988

3

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

1:47.045

4

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:47.087

5

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:47.152

6

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

1:47.365

7

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:47.669

8

George Russell

Mercedes

1:47.805

9

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

1:47.843

10

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

1:48.841

11

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

1:53.148

12

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

1:53.671

13

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

1:54.160

14

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

1:54.694

15

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

1:56.372

16

Alex Albon

Williams

2:00.832

17

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

2:00.832

18

Logan Sargeant

Williams

2:01.535

19

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

2:02.159

20

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

2:03.166

Times By Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P14. Q1 = 1:59.484. Q2 = 1:54.694.

  • Zhou Guanyu: P17. Q1 = 2:00.832.


AlphaTauri

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P11. Q1 = 1:59.044. Q2 = 1:53.148.

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P19. Q1 = 2:02.159.


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: P15. Q1 = 1:29.634. Q2 = 1:56.372.

  • Pierre Gasly: P12. Q1 = 1:59.511. Q2 = 1:53.671.


Aston Martin

  • Fernando Alonso: P9. Q1 = 1:28.834. Q2 = 1:52.751. Q3 = 1:47.843.

  • Lance Stroll: P10. Q1 = 1:59.663. Q2 = 1:52.193. Q3 = 1:48.841.


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P5. Q1 = 1:58.688. Q2 = 1:51.711. Q3 = 1:47.152.

  • Charles Leclerc: P2. Q1 = 1:58.300. Q2 = 1:52.017. Q3 = 1:46.168.


Haas

  • Kevin Magnussen: P13. Q1 = 2:00.020. Q2 = 1:54.160.

  • Nico Hulkenberg: P20. Q1 = 2:03.166.


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P7. Q1 = 1:59.981. Q2 = 1:52.252. Q3 = 1:27.669.

  • Oscar Piastri: P6. Q1 = 1:58.872. Q2 = 1:51.534. Q3 = 1:27.365.


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton: P4. Q1 = 1:58.563. Q2 = 1:52.345. Q3 = 1:47.087.

  • George Russell: P8. Q1 = 1:59.035. Q2 = 1:52.605. Q3 = 1:47.805.


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: P1. Q1 = 1:58.515. Q2 = 1:52.784. Q3 = 1:46.168.

  • Sergio Perez: P3. Q1 = 1:58.899. Q2 = 1:52.353. Q3 = 1:47.045.


Williams

  • Alex Albon: P16. Q1 = 2:00.314.

  • Logan Sargeant: P18. Q1 = 2:01.535.

 

Sprint Updates:


Sprint Shootout:


Eliminated in SQ1 -


Nico Hulkenberg

Zhou Guanyu

Kevin Magnussen

Valtteri Bottas

Yuki Tsunoda


Eliminated in SQ2 -


Fernando Alonso

Lance Stroll

Logan Sargeant

Alex Albon

Daniel Ricciardo


Through to SQ3 -


George Russell

Esteban Ocon

Sergio Perez

Lewis Hamilton

Pierre Gasly

Lando Norris

Charles Leclerc

Carlos Sainz

Oscar Piastri

Max Verstappen


OVERALL RESULT OF SPRINT SHOOTOUT -


*this does not take into account any penalties, final starting grid can be found under 'The Race' section*


The time listed shows the driver's fastest qualifying lap for their respective final qualifying sessions. Blue is for SQ3, red is for SQ2, and no background colour is SQ1. For the driver's times for SQ1, SQ2, SQ3, see below in 'Times by Team'.

Position

Driver

Team

Time

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

1:49.056

2

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

1:29.067

3

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

1:49.081

4

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

1:49.251

5

Lando Norris

McLaren

1:49.289

6

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

1:49.700

7

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

1:49.900

8

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

1:49.961

9

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

1:50.494

10

George Russell

Mercedes

1:55.742

11

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

1:57.687

12

Alex Albon

Williams

DNF SQ2

13

Logan Sargeant

WIlliams

DNF SQ2

14

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

DNF SQ2

15

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

DNF SQ2

16

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

2:00.568

17

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

2:00.951

18

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

2:01.079

19

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

2:01.430

20

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

DNF

Times By Teams -


Alfa Romeo

  • Valtteri Bottas: P17. SQ1 = 2:00.951.

  • Zhou Guanyu: P19. SQ1 = 2:01.430.


AlphaTauri

  • Yuki Tsunoda: P16. SQ1 = 2:00.568.

  • Daniel Ricciardo: P1. SQ1 = 2:00.177. SQ2 = 1:27.687.


Alpine

  • Esteban Ocon: P9. SQ1 = 1:59.884. SQ2 = 1:57.051. SQ3 = 1:50.494.

  • Pierre Gasly: P6. SQ1 = 2:00.032. SQ2 = 1:56.137. SQ3 = 1:49.700.


Aston Martin

  • Fernando Alonso: P15. SQ1 = 1:59.038. SQ2 = DNF.

  • Lance Stroll: P14. SQ1 = 2:00.460. SQ2 = DNF.


Ferrari

  • Carlos Sainz: P3. SQ1 = 1:59.414. SQ2 = 1:56.392. SQ3 = 1:49.067.

  • Charles Leclerc: P4. SQ1 = 1:59.575. SQ2 = 1:56.265. SQ3 = 1:49.251.


Haas

  • Kevin Magnussen: P18. SQ1 = 2:01.079.

  • Nico Hulkenberg: P20. SQ1 = DNF


McLaren

  • Lando Norris: P5. SQ1 = 2:00.436. SQ2 = 1:56.828. SQ3 = 1:49.389.

  • Oscar Piastri: P2. SQ1 = 2:00.056. SQ2 = 1:56.392. SQ3 = 1:49.067.


Mercedes

  • Lewis Hamilton: P7. SQ1 = 1:58.939. SQ2 = 1:55.823. SQ3 = 1:49.900

  • George Russell: P10. SQ1 = 2:00.475. SQ2 = 1:57.393. SQ3 = 1:55.742.


Red Bull

  • Max Verstappen: P1. SQ1 = 1:58.135. SQ2 = 1:55.200. SQ3 = 1:49.056.

  • Sergio Perez: P8. SQS1 = 1:59.362. SQ2 = 1:55.878. SQ3 = 1:49.961.


Williams

  • Alex Albon: P12. SQ1 = 1:59.198. SQ2 = DNF.

  • Logan Sargeant: P13. SQ1 = 2:00.031. SQ2 = DNF.


The Sprint:


Starting Grid -

Position

Driver

Team

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

2

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

3

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

4

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

5

Lando Norris

McLaren

6

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

7

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

8

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

9

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

10

George Russell

Mercedes

11

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

12

Alex Albon

Williams

13

Logan Sargeant

Williams

14

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

15

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

16

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

17

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

18

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

19

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

20

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

Sprint Results -

Position

Driver

Team

Gap

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

​

2

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

+6.677

3

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

+10.733

4

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

+12.648

5

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+15.016

6

Lando Norris

McLaren

+16.052

7

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+16.757

8

George Russell

Mercedes

+16.822

9

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

+22.410

10

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

+22.806

11

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

+25.007

12

Alex Albon

Williams

+26.303

13

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+27.006

14

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

+32.986

15

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+36.342

16

Logan Sargeant

Williams

+37.571

17

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

+37.827

18

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+39.267

DNFs -

Sergio Perez - Red Bull

Fernando Alonso - Aston Martin

 

Pre-race Penalties:

  • Verstappen has a 5 grid place drop for using an additional gearbox.

  • Magnussen has a 3 grid place drop for impeding another driver during qualifying.

 

The Race:


Starting Grid -

Position

Driver

Team

1

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

2

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

3

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

4

Carlos Sainz

Ferrari

5

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

6

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

7

Lando Norris

McLaren

8

George Russell

Mercedes

9

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

10

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

11

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

12

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

13

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

14

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

15

Alex Albon

Williams

16

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

17

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

18

Logan Sargeant

Williams

19

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

20

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

Race Results -

Position

Driver

Team

Gap (seconds)

1

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

​

2

Sergio Perez

Red Bull

+22.305

3

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

+32.259

4

Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes

+49.671

5

Fernando Alonso

Aston Martin

+56.184

6

George Russell

Mercedes

+63.101

7

Lando Norris

McLaren

+73.719

8

Esteban Ocon

Alpine

+74.719

9

Lance Stroll

Aston Martin

+79.340

10

Yuki Tsunoda

AlphaTauri

+80.221

11

Pierre Gasly

Alpine

+83.084

12

Valtteri Bottas

Alfa Romeo

+85.191

13

Zhou Guanyu

Alfa Romeo

+95.441

14

Alex Albon

Williams

+96.184

15

Kevin Magnussen

Haas

+101.754

16

Daniel Ricciardo

AlphaTauri

+103.071

17

Logan Sargeant

Williams

+104.476

18

Nico Hulkenberg

Haas

+110.450

DNFs -

Oscar Piastri - McLaren

Carlos Sainz - Ferrari


Fastest Lap -

Lewis Hamilton with 1:47.305


Driver of The Day - Max Verstappen

 

Any Other News:

  • Team Principle, Otmar Szafnauer, and Sporting Director, Alan Permane, will leave Alpine after the Belgian Grand Prix; both are by "mutual agreement".

 

Championship Standings:


World Constructors Championship -

Position

Team

Points

Gap

1

Red Bull

503

​

2

Mercedes

247

-256

3

Aston Martin

196

-51

4

Ferrari

191

-5

5

McLaren

103

-88

6

Alpine

57

-46

7

Williams

11

-46

8

Haas

11

-0

9

Alfa Romeo

9

-2

10

AlphaTauri

3

-6

World Driver Championship -

Position

Driver

Points

Gap

1

Max Verstappen

314

​

2

Sergio Perez

189

-125

3

Fernando Alonso

149

-40

4

Lewis Hamilton

148

-1

5

Charles Leclerc

99

-49

6

George Russell

99

-0

7

Carlos Sainz

92

-7

8

Lando Norris

69

-23

9

Lance Stroll

47

-22

10

Esteban Ocon

35

-12

11

Oscar Piastri

34

-1

12

Pierre Gasly

22

-12

13

Alex Albon

11

-11

14

Nico Hulkenberg

9

-2

15

Valtteri Bottas

5

-4

16

Zhou Guanyu

4

-1

17

Yuki Tsunoda

3

-1

18

Kevin Magnussen

2

​-1

19

Logan Sargeant

0

-2

20

Nyck De Vries

0

-0

21

Daniel Ricciardo

0

-0



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